Questions and Answers for Skeptics

Maryland residents who are law-abiding can easily get CCW permits in VA and FL. They are undergo background checks, and the police know everything about them from their application. These Maryland permit holders are trusted by those states – why shouldn't our state trust them?

Are you in favor of your right to free speech? How about your basic rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness? Criminals will use whatever they can find, and if they decide to take your life, wouldn't it be best to be able to defend yourself, instead of hiding and praying you'll live?

Guns are tools, nothing more. Evil is the criminal who takes up a gun to commit an act of violence. Evil is the criminal who takes the life of another. If a man drives his car into a person and kills them, is the car evil? Or the person?

"At first it sounds like good public policy to ban firearms in establishments that serve liquor. Further scrutiny however reveals that any gun free zone, including schools, restaurants, bars and government buildings offer criminals the freedom to kill with impunity." "Posting signs designating an area as "gun free" does not keep criminals from entering with a gun; they invite criminals who know nobody can stop them." "Few remember the school shooting in Pearl, Miss., that took place in October 1997. This episode came to a close when Pearl High School Assistant Principal Joel Myrick sprinted a quarter mile to retrieve a handgun from his car and confronted the shooter who was unwilling to continue the attack against an armed victim." from: The False Hope Of Gun-Free Zones By Gerard Valentino CNSNews.com Commentary, December 16, 2004

Criminals carry guns.  If they can't find guns, they will use knives, bats, tire irons, brute force, etc. Do you prefer that criminals have the advantage and law-abiding citizens be defenseless?

No question that the police are your friend, and will often give their lives to fight crime. Consider though; a recent case in Oklahoma where a woman was forced to kill a man who broke into her house with a knife. From the time she called 911 to the time the police arrived: 21 minutes. The police can't be everywhere and at every time and although they will race to you, they may not be able to get there in time. 

Permits are issued only after a background check is completed and passed with fingerprints having been obtained. A permit would not be issued to the "town drunk" or someone who is mentally unstable or has a substance abuse problem. Shall Issue only means the requirements for issuing a carry permit are objective. Criminals do not obtain permits, they simply break the law and carry anyway. 

There are many, many laws that firearm owners must follow. The law-abiding citizen isn't the cause for concern, but rather the criminal that has no regard for the law and willfully breaks it. By definition, criminals do not obey the law, therefore no number of laws could possibly prevent someone who refuses to abide them from doing so.